Chapter 10 -Act 1

"Foods here," Trey announced walking through the doorway.

"Yay! Food! Did you get me ice cream too?" Sasha asked excitedly.

"You can't have ice cream for breakfast Sasha…" Yuki laughed.

"Sorry, Sasha, no ice cream bud. Maybe later, I know a good soft cream cone shop," Trey offered, handing the twins their food as well as putting down Rose's and Kuro's.

"So when is this checkup happening?" Yuki asked, cracking open the container.

"I'm not sure, apparently it was supposed to happen earlier, but something weird is going on. The hospital is suddenly swamped with injured Pokemon it looks like. I didn't even see Nurse Joy at the desk," Trey explained.

"There's a Nurse Joy here?!?" Yuki shouted, "Does that mean there's an Officer Jenny somewhere?!"

Trey recoiled from the shout slightly confused.

"Of course there is, we're in a Hospital that doubles as a Center. And Officer Jenny is just a cop like all the rest. I mean her family is prolific in that department but yeah she's just another person. Ours is apparently a big Iono fanatic but she's a good person. Helped me out quite a lot already," Trey smiled thinking about the quirky officer who helped him a few days beforehand.

"I have to meet her!" Yuki gushed, almost jumping out of bed.

"Ok, ok! Just calm down," Trey chided, almost having to move to put her back into the bed, "Why are you so adamant about meeting Officer Jenny…?" he asked.

"N-no reason…." Yuki mumbled, scooping up a forceful of noodles to stuff her mouth.

"Well, I might be speaking to her again soon because of the investigation, so I'll ask her about maybe visiting us," Trey said scratching the back of his head.

"Rewleey!?" Yuki asked, her mouth still full.

"Yeah…." Trey said smiling wryly, "By the way…" Trey said his eyes falling on their bandages, "How do your burns feel? Do they still hurt?" he asked, concerned.

Rose also cooed loudly from her seat by the chair, half a berry in her mouth. Her concern spreading over her and Trey's connection.

"I'm ok!" Sasha hooted, raising his fork into the air.

"Yeah," Yuki said, her hand going to the bandage, "I honestly don't feel it, but maybe it's the drugs," she said smiling and shrugging.

"That isn't funny Yuuks," Trey said sternly, "You were both nearly killed and burned for it, I wouldn't be surprised if they still hurt even with anesthesia…"

Yuki looked back at Trey, her expression pensive as if she wanted to say something but held back.

"Sorry… No, it doesn't hurt right now. I would like to get this bandage off soon though. I don't like being a cyclops…" she grumbled.

"A what?" Trey asked.

"Oh umm.. A Dustclops?" she said hesitantly.

"Ohhh, haha…" Trey said as he laughed awkwardly.

Trey cleaned up the empty plates for the twins and his Pokemon as they waited there for a few more minutes, anxiously awaiting a nurse of some kind to tell them when they could leave or when the follow-up checkup was.

He eventually got impatient and moved for the door, Rose cupped in his arms. Trey poked his head out of the room looking left to right for someone to ask as he suddenly saw a gurney turn the corner and rapidly move down the hall towards him.

"Out of the way please!" the nurse shouted at Trey.

Trey gave a nod and backed into the room as the nurse followed by another pushing into the room.

The pair of nurses moved past Trey, the twins, and Trey's Pokemon as they worked to get the patient onto the bed on the opposite side of the room.

"Ready?" one nurse asked the other.

"On three. One, two, three!" they counted together as they moved the unconscious patient from the stretcher, onto the bed.

The nurse that talked to Trey in the hallway, quickly began to hook the patient up to the monitoring machines, moving the saline drip to the side of the bed as well.

Trey watched with the twins as they did, his curiosity winning over.

"What happened?" he asked the idle nurse.

"You didn't hear?" the man said, wiping his forehead with his sleeve, "There were a number of attacks on trainers this morning. Apparently, a bunch of criminals were trying to steal trained Pokemon on the street. A lot of people got involved and hurt, so now we're swamped with patients. This guy was the most badly injured of them."

Trey looked at the man on the bed, some burn marks on his body with cuts and bruises here and there.

First the Orphanage, and now there's criminals trying to steal Pokemon? What in Arceus is going on in Saffron…. Trey thought, his mind turning to how safe it would be out on the streets with the twins, Rose, and Kuro if that was the case.

"Thank you for telling me," Trey said, giving a nod, "We've been waiting for an update on their checkup for a while now. It's good to know what's going on."

"It's no problem," huffed the nurse, "I wouldn't expect a checkup for a while, we're currently all hands on deck with this incident. Pokemon and Trainers alike were injured and we only have so many people staffed right now. More are being called in, but it will be a couple of hours until normal services are back."

"That's… terrible. Did the Police capture the criminals?" Trey asked, getting a little worried.

"As far as we know, no. They were able to get away. From what I heard there were quite a lot of them. Sorry, that's all I know though. If there's nothing else," the man asked, looking to the door.

"Ah, yes nothing else, thank you again. I'm sorry for holding you up," Trey said bowing.

"Anytime," the nurse said, giving a wave of his hand, as the second nurse finished and they both bolted out of the room.

Trey stood thoughtfully brooding over what he had just heard.

That isn't good… Is it going to be safe to bring the twins to the studio today? It's probably better to wait until the Police handle it. I know I have some jurisdiction as a trainer now, but I haven't had a chance to read the pamphlet thoroughly enough yet. He thought rapidly, his worry leaking over to an increasingly worrying Rose.

Rose began to whimper from her seat below Kuro. His feathers ruffling slightly.

Trey turned towards them, Rose's whimper drawing his attention.

"Ah, it's ok you two. I'm just wondering what's best to do right now…" Trey said sighing and looking at the twins.

Sasha had barely heard the conversation, apparently, his face still stuffing itself with food. Yuki on the other hand had paused her meal to listen, her face pensive while she looked thoughtfully at her food.

"What criminals do we have in Saffron?" Yuki asked Trey as she lifted her head up.

"What do you mean? We have the bad ones like every other city in Kanto, probably the whole world," Trey answered confused by the question.

"No, I mean. Who are the criminals…" Yuki asked again.

"I don't understand what your question is Yuuks…" Trey answered again hesitantly, slightly concerned by her serious tone.

Yuki shook her head, "The nurse said it was a group. That would probably mean a gang or organized crime. Is it.. Is it Team Rocket?" she asked finally.

Trey raised a brow, surprised to hear the name again. Only remember now that Officer Jenny had mentioned them the day before.

"It could be? But just a group isn't enough to go on and say who it is that's doing it," Trey explained.

"But the nurse said they were also trying to steal Pokemon. Isn't that Team Rocket's whole thing?" Yuki asked, her voice dropping to a whisper, "I wish I knew what generation this whole mess dropped me into… I don't know what fucking timeline we're on..!"

"What? How would you know what Team Rocket's MO is Yuuks?" Trey asked suspiciously.

Panicking becoming a normal occurrence for her, she again quickly pointed to a magazine on one of the tables.

Trey gave her a look of disbelief, "You're trying to tell me these magazines have conveniently that much information on everything you say?"

"Yeeeessssss…..?" Yuki said, wincing.

Trey rolled his eyes, "Fine. I won't push the topic right now, but you and I are having a talk later. Especially if you want that laptop," Trey said sternly, then suddenly remembering the shopping he wanted to get done, "Ah… the phones and the other stuff… Ha… today is already starting out as a mess."

Trey grumbled to himself as he looked at the clock, it turning just past 9 at 9:03.

"Well, it looks like we are stuck here until you two at least get your checkup done," Trey said, "So I guess get comfy for now while we wait."

"Does that mean I can read the magazines to pass the time?" Yuki asked.

"No."

"Boooooo…" Yuki spat.

"Yeah, booooo!!" Sasha suddenly parroted, raising his hands into the air, "Booo big brother Trey! Boooo!!!" he laughed.

Trey rolled his eyes, looking down at Rose on the chair, her hands going into the air as well.

"You too Rose?" Trey laughed.

Rose looked back up at him with a smile, "Raaaaaalllltsssss!" she cooed, snickering.

"Krow, Murkrow!" cackled Kuro.

"Laugh it up you two, laugh it up…." Trey chuckled, conceding that he had lost in the four-against-one.

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"Ok, so that's how that works…." Trey mumbled as he flipped the next page of the pamphlet, reading over what the League Official had handed him at the center.

Trey looked up from his reading to glance at the twins. It was now almost 1:00 PM and Sasha had fallen asleep, but Yuki was staring at Trey. Her eyes formed a scowl as if she was frustrated about something.

"What is it Yuuks?" Trey asked closing the pamphlet.

"Nothingggg," she answered, extending the word sarcastically.

"That doesn't sound like nothing," he scoffed, "Getting hungry again? It is past lunch."

"No, that isn't it. Don't worry about it…" she explained.

Trey looked back at her confused, his mind stretching to think of what might be wrong but coming up empty.

Not exactly sure what an eleven-year-old girl would be upset about… He sighed internally.

Trey was beginning to become impatient again now that he had stopped his reading. He was used to being busy all the time and needed to always be working toward something. The stalling that was happening just didn't sit well with him.

He got up, careful to place Rose from his lap onto the chair next to him.

Rose looked at him questioningly.

"Going to go find a nurse and see if I can't get an update on what's going on. I'll be right back," Trey said to them.

Exiting the room, Trey was able to find a nurse quickly but just as quickly he lost them as they all seemed to be running from room to room and floor to floor.

Is it more serious than the nurse from this morning let on? Trey questioned.

Trey, curious now, fished out his phone as he walked to the elevator.

Quickly searching for the latest news in Saffron, he found several headlines covering the incident.

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"I'm here on 1st Street in Saffron, where there have just been multiple assaults on League Trainers and their Pokemon. From witness testimony, the perpetrators have been seen in multiple groups with pairs of two or more."

The reporter stood in front of 1st Street, behind her smoke billowed off the buildings and some of the pavement carved out from Pokemon moves.

"As you can see the carnage and destruction is rather large. The assailants had little disregard for both bystanders and the Trainers themselves as many have been sent to Saffron Central for medical attention. The Saffron Police have cautioned residents to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. The criminals are still at large as of 9 AM. The incident was not isolated as other reports of similar crimes are coming in from around the city."

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The reporter in the video continued to cover some of the damage done by the criminals but there wasn't any more relevant information in the video for Trey. Nothing on what the criminals looked like or even if there had been any actual Pokemon taken.

It seemed that the police or the media was keeping the information limited for some reason as Trey went through several other videos on his way down to the lobby.

When he arrived, there was still a large pack of people and Pokemon waiting to be helped. He had never seen the hospital this busy since coming here, granted it had only been a few days.

He tried to look around for anyone that could help him, seeing a familiar face passing by.

"Ah! Jenna! Can I snag a bit of time from you?" Trey asked, calling out to her.

"Oh, Trey. Yeah, what is it?" she asked hurriedly.

"I was wondering if you have an update on what's going on outside? With all the people coming in, I wanted to know how long it would take to get the twins checked up on," he asked.

"We still won't be able to spare anyone for a few more hours sadly. But there are less people coming in right now thankfully, That's the best I can offer right now Trey," Jenna replied, taking off before he could hold her longer.

"Ah…. a few more hours huh? I wonder if we can do anything in the meantime…" Trey thought aloud, "I have work in a few hours too. Should I try to call Kristine? It would be understandable if I couldn't come in with everything happening right?"

Trey heaved a sigh and politely as possible pushed through the line of people waiting to be taken in for one thing or another. Making his way back to the cafe area he was becoming increasingly familiar with.

Arriving at the cafe he walked into line scrolling through the news as he did. A few minutes later he was greeted by the employee at the counter.

"Hello again, same as yesterday, or would you like something different?" the man asked.

"Haha.. I guess I have been here quite a lot lately. I'll try something different today, any recommendations?" Trey said, giving a wry smile.

"Though it's past it, we do have some very light and nutritious breakfast soups if you'd like."

"That sounds perfect, three orders of it. Thank you," Trey replied, fishing for his wallet.

Trey went to the next counter ordering a different pair of dishes for Kuro and Rose as well, saying goodbye to another 30 credits in food, leaving him with only a few hundred more for the entirety of the week.

Looks like I'll have to beg for some food when I'm at the bar this week…. Pewter Style Chicken strips and fries for the week… yum… He thought, giving a sigh.

Handling the bags filled with food, Trey walked back through the lobby to the elevators. He noticed a decrease in the number of patients waiting to be seen, which was a good sign for them to be let out soon.

Getting into the elevator Trey dialed the Bar's number, praying that Kristine would pick up and not Donnie.

…

…

..

"Yeah?"

Trey heard the deep voice on the other end.

Fuck..

"Hey, Donnie… Um, I'm sure you've heard about the stuff happening on the news by now right?" Trey asked.

"Yeah, dumb wanna-be gangsters pushing around people on the street. It's been giving me a real headache today. What about it?" Donnie asked.

"I'm picking up the shift later, so I need to know if I should still come in. Since they didn't capture the criminals," Trey explained.

"Yeah come in. Don't worry about those schmucks, they're only targeting Trainers who have been doing well in the circuit from what I've heard. You're a trainer now right kid? But you haven't had any Gym experience, so you should be fine. Just keep your Ralts in her ball until you get here," Donnie instructed over the phone.

The elevator beeped signaling he had gotten to his floor and Trey walked out.

"Are you sure? It sounds dangerous to go out…. And her name is Rose."

"Yeah, be here at 4, you're working till midnight. Tell Rose to keep your dumbass safe," Donnie scoffed, hanging up.

Trey pulled the phone from his ear looking at it incredulously.

"Asshole… I didn't even get to ask about the twins…" he sighed.

Trey eventually put on a smile though, remembering that Donnie did actually seem to care, so he wouldn't tell him it was safe unless it really was.

"Guess we just have to hope the twins get seen before 4…" Trey mused aloud, "Gives me some time to surf the forums for some information on Rose's type conversion problem. Wanna see if anyone else is dealing with something similar."

Trey turned the corner and entered the twin's room.

They were both playing on Sasha's bed with Rose, as Kuro perched himself over on a chair next to them, his eyes closed.

"Food's here," Trey announced, seeing all of their heads turn, even Kuro suddenly becoming alert at the mention.

"Yay, ice cream!" Sasha shouted.

"No… no ice cream," Trey laughed, "Ganna have to wait until after dinner for that."

"This is different? Soup?" Yuki observed, taking the container from Trey.

"Yeah, the guy at the counter recommended it. Should be easy on your stomach," Trey replied.

Sasha took no time in opening the container and digging in. Both Rose and Kuro also took a page out of the boy's book and dug right into theirs as well.

Yuki was more graceful and mannered with eating, which again surprised Trey. He remembered Yuki as a cheerful kid before the fire. And now she had become more of an adult in both her manners and speech.

"Did you find out when we can leave?" she asked interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh, apparently soonish? I have to work at 4, so I'm hoping before then. If not you guys are going to have to stay another night here, unfortunately," Trey explained.

"Boooo!" Sasha said in between slurps of soup.

"Is whatever happened," Yuki asked, pointing to the man across from them in the ICU, "really that bad?"

Trey was about to speak but was hesitant. No matter what had changed with Yuki, she was still a child to Trey and shouldn't be burdened with knowing about the unnecessary danger of the criminals if she didn't need to.

"It's been taken care of by the police already. So there's nothing to worry about. Besides, we won't be going out until later anyway. Just focus on getting better for now, you two have Kuro, Rose, and I to protect you," Trey assured her with a smile.

Rose cooed from her seat mid-bite. Kuro gave a terse nod before going beak-deep into his food again.

Yuki looked back at Trey suspiciously but her face relaxed and she nodded, beginning to eat her own soup.

Trey sighed, not happy that he was lying but, it was for their own good and his own sanity. He looked over to Rose who tilted her head curiously at him, feeling their connection tug at one another briefly.

He smiled and took a seat next to her, opening his own soup, and his only meal for the rest of the week that wouldn't be from the bar.

Taking a spoonful, he gave a gasp of satisfaction.

"Wow, that is actually amazing, what in the world is in this?" he said in disbelief.

Rose, perked up and pointed to her open mouth with a white sleeve.

"Oh, you want a bite sweetie?" Trey smiled, picking up a spoonful, "Here you go."

Trey moved the spoon to her mouth, but quickly made a detour to his own when she closed her mouth on nothing but air as he snickered to himself.

Rose pouted bowling out her cheeks before lightly tapping on him with her fists.

"Okay, okay! Here," Trey smirked, giving her a real taste of the soup.

She cooed in satisfaction, her sleeve moving to the side of her cheek in delight.

"It's good right?" Trey said then looked to Kuro, "Want a sip bud?" he asked.

Kuro turned his beak, giving a bird-like scoff.

"Take that as a no then…" Trey chuckled.

He flipped open his phone as he took his time to eat the rest of the soup, every once in a while giving a scoop to Rose when she tugged on his arm.

Trey began flipping through the forums looking for anything that might help them in improving Rose's situation. And it didn't take long.

Thankfully the battlenet forums were filled with Trainers and the majority were helpful. There were some more unhelpful people, which Trey found out were called trolls, but he quickly found a thread with someone having a similar problem.

The post detailed how their Growlithe was having trouble performing their fire moves. And that their Pokemon's problem stemmed from a psychological problem. After some work with a Xatu to aleve the stress of the fire for their Growlithe. It turned into just practice. Starting out small by making small candle-like flames, into eventually bigger and more powerful ones that resulted in moves like Fire Spin, and Flamethrower.

Trey found a few more posts that were similar, some including water, grass, and eventually psychic types.

By the time Trey finished reading the posts, an hour had passed and he had formed a small plan in his head to help Rose.

"I don't think the problem is psychological but there's no harm in covering our bases. But practice makes perfect huh…. Guess starting sooner is better than later," Trey said turning to Rose, "What do you say we get started on some training while we wait for the twins to get checked, huh sweetie?"

Rose looked up at Trey, her head tilting to the side, "Alts?"